Archive for May 2012

Although the new iPhone is likely still several months away but more concrete information pertaining to the next generation Apple handsets is already making the rounds. This news comes in courtesy of iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz.

Acc. to the editor the new sixth generation iPhone's will introduce a larger screen, most probably a 4.0 inch screen along with Gorilla Display 2. Not only this it is rumored that Apple has abandoned the long rumored tear drop design that most thought would be introduced in iPhone 4s. Instead its expected that another glass-bodied design that's somewhat similar to what's already available on current generation smart phones.

The Wall Street Journals reports that sources familiar with the matter have confirmed south Korean panel maker LG Display and two Japanese firms, sharp corporation and the government backed Japan Display, have already began the production of the new display inch. They believe all the three suppliers are likely to get production orders as early as June, making handset production possible by August and guaranteeing its arrival before the all-important Christmas holiday period.

The new iPhone is expected to be longer and thinner than the 4S, measuring in at roughly 125mm by 58.5mm by 7.7mm. These dimension make the phone about 10mm taller than the 4S and roughly 2mm thinner while the width is largely unchanged. And because of this for the first time since the original iPhone, there will be a new aspect ratio.The back of the phone will be a departure from the norm as well. iLounge says that Apple will be adding a metal panel to the middle of the back. The panel will be completely flat and made of metal, not ceramic. The final big change is a new connector. This was rumored to be included on the new iPad but that never actually happened. The new connector is said to be slightly larger than the speaker holes on the new iPhone and eventually encompass all iOS devices moving forward.

The rumors appear more credible after Reuters claimed their own sources revealed the same three suppliers are already producing screens, however there's no information on the resolution of the display from either sources.

The reports follow rumors in March that suggested the new iPhone would feature a 4.6-inch display. If anything, the move to a 4.0-inch screen seems more likely, but we'll have to wait and see how this plays out.

In an elongated blog post, Microsoft has explained some of the logic behind Windows 8's interface. Much of the article discussed about how over the years Microsoft has modified its graphical interface, but a sizable nugget focuses on the desktop environment , including some significant changes that haven't been revealed in the Consumer Preview yet. Most notably, Microsoft says it's scrapping Aero Glass, the glossy, transparent border introduced with Vista, in favor of a flatter style that less distracting.

"In the end, we have decided to bring the desktop closer to the Metro aesthetic, while preserving the compatibility afforded by not changing the size of window chrome, controls, or system UI. We have moved beyond Aero Glass-- flattering surfaces, removing reflections, and scaling back distracting gradients.. We want desktop windows to continue feel light and airy, and we want a chrome style that doesn't distract from the contents of the app". Despite all these changes with the interface, the company doesn't appear to be worried about the issue of "learnability." Instead believes that people will quickly find the new paradigms to be second-nature."

While Microsoft admits that there have been some usability issues with certain gestures in the Consumer Preview, the company says that this is not an issue with people coming to grips with the concept, but instead a problem with the early state of the OS-- internal builds are "significantly improved," according to Microsoft, so we should see an easier-to-use Windows 8 when the Release Preview launches next month. The post also packs a great dose of nostalgia, as the build team looks back at interface issues dating all the way to Windows 1 in 1985. Be sure to check out the source link below to take trip down the memory lane of Windows builds.

Microsoft's top Windows executive said that the company will release its Windows 8 Release Preview somewhere in the first week of June. Release Preview which will be closest yet to the final version is contemplated to have a lot of changes in it as compared to the Consumer preview.

Stephen Sinofsky, President of the Windows and windows Live division, announced the timing Tuesday at a developers event in Tokyo, according to a Twitter message by the company.

The Redmond Giant have already released two preview editions of windows 8 before this- the Developer preview released in September last year, while the Consumer Preview released at the end of the February.Fascinatingly, more than 100,000 changes have been made to Windows 8 since the Developer preview.

In March, Cherry said that Microsoft would deliver a release candidate three months after the Consumer Preview, with a "release to manufacturing," or the RTM, edition three months after the RC. So far, Microsoft has also detailed the SKU's of the Windows 8 that will hit the market , Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro, and Windows RT(for ARM), as well as a host of respective features they will provide. The first two meant for x86 systems will be available in 32-bit and 64-bit versions.

Windows 8 has been called the "most significant redesign" of the operating system since Windows 95, and a lot of hopes are riding on the platform, a much bigger gamble than just a way into the tablet, and in the future, with Windows Phone 8, markets.

The new operating system is due to be released this October-November, and Microsoft's already at work in the Windows Store, a marketplace for both Metro-style apps, and regular Windows software.

If you haven't yet tried out the Windows 8 in its preview iterations, check out the hands on with Windows 8 Preview here.

AMD launched their second generation Accelerated Processing Units (APUs) for mainstream,ultra thin netbooks and traditional computers. Codenamed "TRINITY", the new APUs are a ground up-up improvement over first generation components with double the performance per watt of Liano parts.

As usual AMD is not targeting the performance market and Trinity is not meant to compete directly with Ivvy Bridge for the most parts, rather it should present an interesting alternative for the ultrabook-style laptops where a balance of features, low power consumption, and integrated graphics are the standards.

Trinity packs an AMD Piledriver CPU core that uses a 3rd generation Turbo Core technology that shifts power between the COU and GPU as needed. This technology can effectively ramp up the CPU core clock to 3.2Ghz. Other vital features include a dual channel DDR3 memory channel controller, an AMD HD Media Accelerator, a unified northbridge and up to four Piledriver CPU cores with 2MB L2 cache.

Radeon HD 7000 graphics are said to provide a whooping boost up to 56 percent better performance than the previous generation. Notebooks featuring Trinity APUs will boast battery life up to 12 hrs through CPU and GPU power enhancement.

The 2nd generation AMD A-Series APU is a major step forward in every performance and the power dimension, this allows users to enjoy a stunning experience without having to give up the things that matter to them the most. This doesn't stop at mainstream notebooks. It carries over into affordable ultrathin form factors featuring the latest in AMD Radeon graphics.

AMD has released three different flavors for mainstream notebooks: A10-4600m, A8-4500M and A6-440M, all featuring a 35W TDP with varying CPU core counts and clock speeds. The ultrathins ones will see the quad-core A10-4655M clocked at 2.0Ghz and carrying a 25W TDP while the dual-core A6-445M will include a 17W TDP at 2.1Ghz. AMD notes that desktop systems and components channel parts will be available later this year.